A Mother's Secret (Part 2 of the Melinda Chronicles)
by shoboni
Summary: After dying in the middle of her living and waking up to Miles crying over her body, Melinda is forced to explain her immorality to her adopted son far sooner than she had planned. AU in which Tails' adoptive mother is an immortal.


"M-mom, please w-wake up."

Those were the first words Melinda heard as she regained consciousness and they sent her mind into a panic. It was the voice of her 5 year old adopted son, Miles, and that meant he had found her sometime after she crawled into the house and succumbed to blood-loss in the middle of the living room floor.

The only thought on her mind was of him sobbing next to her, and how frightened he must have been to find her bleeding all over the floor and not breathing. She knew that she would have to explain to him what she was someday, but she never wanted it to happen like this and cursed herself for putting him through it. God, how long had be there next to her unresponsive body and pleading for her to answer?

"M-Mom?" An undercurrent of hope entered his voice, he must have heard heard her heart start beating again, maybe heard her breathe.

She forced open her eyes and saw him looking down her her with bloodshot eyes and tear-stains on his face. It hurt, the fear in his eyes hurt because she new it was her fault for not being more careful. No matter what it took, she would now have to make it right by explaining everything to him as best she could and calming his fears.

A groan escaped her lips as the feeling finally came back to her body and she forced herself to sit up, Miles' still clinging to her. She put her arm around him and he buried his face in her side as he began to sob.

"It's okay, honey. I'm okay now and I'm right here," she rubbed his back and spoke gently

"Y-you weren't breathing and I c-couldn't make you wake up. It was just like what happened to Snowy and I thought.." He continued to sob and he trailed off.

Snowy, a wolf-dog she had long before she adopted him that had finally succumb to age and passed on, and that he was unfortunate enough to find. It was at that point she had to explain death to him and it made the timing of this that much worse.

"I'm sorry it took so long for me to wake-up, but I'm fine now and you don't have to worry anymore." she did her best to sound happy and energetic.

"No you're not, t-there's blood everywhere and you have those cuts on you,"

"I know this looks bad, but I promise that I'm okay." she pulled him even closer and noticed the blood staining his fur for the first time, her blood.

"Y-you're hurt bad, I saw it." he sobbed, "why are you lying?"

"MIles, I promise I'm not lying." she said softly.

"b-but," he whined.

"Honey, please look at me for a minute, " she said.

He merely whined and shook his head.

"I know you're scared, but no matter how scary I look it's still me." she said, "I can explain everything to you if you just look up for a minute."

She put on her best smile as he slowly opened his eyes and looked up, flinching as his eyes met hers. Did she really look that bad from the punch to the nose she took?.

"Is this what you were talking about, here on my tummy?" she noticed him looking down at where she had taken a pretty deep slash to the stomach, "it's already all gone, look."

Her fingers found the wound and she gently pulled apart the fabric of her t-shirt to show that the dried blood staining the white fur of her stomach was all that remained of the injury. Cautiously, Miles reached out with one hand and she give him a nod before he carefully ran his fingers over the stain. The look of disbelief on his face told her that this wasn't going to be easy.

"There was a really bad cut there, I saw it. How did it did go away?" he asked.

"Miles, there's something I need to explain you. I was going to wait until you were older but it looks like it can't wait anymore, but you have to keep it a secret for now, okay?"

"Okay," Miles said softly.

She took a deep breath and thought for a moment, desperately trying to find the words to explain it, "I guess I'll start slow. Miles, you know how old I am, right?"

"We just had your 26th birthday," he answered.

"That's right, but I've sort of been lying about my birthday until I was ready to explain all this. Miles, how high can you count?"

"I'm really good with numbers," he smiled through the tears, "I can count to 100"

At least he was calming down, but this was going to involve a math lesson.

"Very good, do you at least sort of understand what comes after that? How you start counting again until it becomes 200, or even 300?" she asked.

"Kind of, it's tricky but I knew numbers go really high you can have more than one hundreds," he said with a sniffle.

"If I said 1100 to you, what you have some idea of how big that is?" she asked.

"That's like 11 100s, right? That's really big." he said, scrunching his face and trying to understand the large number."

"Yes, and it's also how old I really am," and how came he part where she'd fear she'd lose him.

"but you don't look old," he said, confusion evident on his face.

"I know, that's because I don,'t," she thought for a moment before choosing a better to explain it, "my body doesn't get older like everyone else's does. I don't get wrinkles and my hair doesn't turn grey or any of that other stuff that happens to old people. I'll always look I do right now."

"Why's that," he asked.

"I'm something called an Immortal, do you understand what that means?" she asked.

"I think I've heard that word in fairy tales, doesn't it just mean you're really old, like you said?" he asked.

"Kind of. but is also means that no-one can hurt me, at least permanently because I heal very fast, like you saw and even if something really bad like that happens to me, I'll just come back "

"Does that mean you were de-" he once again buried his face on her side before he could finish the last word.

"I'm afraid so, but if it helps you can just think of it like sleeping because I always wake-up," she gently rubbed the back of his head.

"but you told me it doesn't happen like that and it sounds like a make-believe story. My head hurts and I'm confused," he said, his voice still shaking.

"Honey, you know I wouldn't lie to you about something like this," she said.

"I know, but I'm scarred and I feel like I'm having a bad dream," he said.

"Come on, I need to show you something," she carefully stood up into a crouch and put one arm around his legs and the other around his back, waiting for him to put his arm around her shoulder before lifting him off the floor and carrying him to the couch.

"I need you to listen carefully," she carefully set him down and sat next to him on the couch, "You're going to have to trust me for a minute and try not to panic because this might be scary at first, okay?"

"I trust you mama, I'm just scarred."

"Okay, just try to stay calm," she felt around her back for her dagger and unsheathed it, making sure to slide it up and carefully grip it by the blade so it would be pointed at her as she showed it to him. It's not like he had never seen it before, but was still an extra measure to keep from scaring him

"What are you gonna do with your knife?" he asked, a look of concern on his face.

"This is the part that might get a little scary, but I need you pay close attention, okay?" almost reflectively, she flipped it around in her hand and choked up on it, so her thumb was resting on the flat of the blade near the tip before placing the edge against the palm of her other hand, causing his eyes to grow wide.

"Mom…" he choked out, "are you going to hurt yourself?"

"It's okay, just trust me," she said softly before carefully slicing into her palm and holding it out to him , "watch".

A familiar tingling sensation quickly replaced the sting of the cut and she noticed his fear turn to curiosity and then amazement as it faintly glowed and gradually disappeared. He cautiously took her hand and she slowly worked her fingers and rubbed the fresh blood with the tips to show him it gone and she was unharmed.

"Do you believe me now?" she asked softly.

His eye's lit up with excitement that overpowered his prior fear and she nearly fell off the couch as he tackled her with a hug and squealed with joy, causing her to instinctively toss the knife to the floor where he wouldn't accidently bump into it and cut himself.

"Hey kiddo, you okay?" she chuckled, "I guess you're feeling better, huh?"

"You were telling the truth about all if, weren't you?" he asked excitedly

"Of course," she answered.

"That makes you like some kind of super-hero, just like in my comics," he squealed, hugging her even tighter, "what makes the magic work?."

"I'm glad you're warming up to this," she laughed, "It's kinda hard to explain, but immortals have this thing called a quickening, that's a sort of like, well. a kind of magic inside us. Not only does it heal us but it gives us almost perfect recall and let's use sense each other," she explained.

"Perfect recall?" he asked?

"It means I have a really good memory and I don't forget things easily," she laughed.

"Does that mean you can tell me stories and stuff about all the cool things you've seen?" he asked excitedly

"I don't see why not, you just have to give me some time to remember some fun ones," she said. "..but can you let me up"?

"Is something wrong?" he asked with a worried expression.

"No, I just need shower off and change real quick" she touched her nose to his, eliciting a laugh "and then I'm going to give you a bath and help you scrub all this off."

She'd likely need another shower later after that, but it would give him a chance to settle down before she tried bathing him and keep her from merely making the mess worse with the blood coating her own body and clothing.

* * *

" _To think, I'd almost forgot how hard it is to get this stuff out,_ " she dumped more shampoo in her hand and worked it in the fur on his head before continuing the scrub at the stain.

Miles didn't seem to mind her efforts and just contentedly played with one of his toy boats as she fought with the now drying smears of blood and mused about how normal parents likely didn't have to deal with their kids winding up covered in blood unless it involved 911.

Absentmindedly glancing around the bathroom, she smiled when her eyes landed on a bottle of green bubble-bath with a cartoonish depiction of a knight fighting a fire-breathing dragon and decided a small story might distract her if nothing else.

"You know, I knew a real knight once." she said.

"Really?" he looked up at her with curious eyes.

"Yeah, he was another immortal like me and I was actually the one that had to teach him about it," she grabbed a washcloth and began scrubbing a spot on his cheek after finally getting out all she could of the stubborn stain on his head.

"He didn't know?" Miles asked, looking confused.

"Well, we know don't about it until we get hurt bad enough that it sort of activates and we're just like anyone else until that happens. If we're lucky another immortal that's nice finds us and becomes our friend and teacher, and then later we carry on that tradition when we meet others that need the same," she explained.

"So you were his teacher, then?" Miles asked.

"That's right, I wasn't even 300 years old at the time and he wound up being my first student as well as a close friend," she sighed as she noticed some dried blood caked behind his ear and started picking it.

"What was he like?" Miles asked, "was he a good knight?"

"The perfect example of one. He was fighting in a war that he thought was to protect his home, until he found out some of of the other knights we're bad people that were bullying innocent people that had nothing to do with the fighting. He stood up to them and tried to stop it, but they attacked him and and left them in the church where I found him," she worked her way down to a smeared fingerprint on his shoulder.

"So he protected people?" Miles asked.

"Yes, and he was so dedicated to it that he later created his own order of knights where each and every one promises to help protect people and to never fight unless it's to protect themselves or someone else, " she looked in the water behind him and signed when she caught sight of some splatters on one of his tails, "How did you get any on there?"

"Hey, that tickles," he laughed as she fished it out from under the water and began gently scrubbing it.

"Does it tickle as much as this?" she laughed and playfully tickled one of his ears, causing him to giggle.

"Mom!" he laughed, "you know my ears are sensitive!"

"Why do you think I did that?" she grinned, "I think we're almost done, so just make sure your personal places are clean and then you can get out, okay? I'll watch a movie with you so can relax a little before bed."

"Okay," she felt him fidget around in the water as scrubbed the last of a spot off his back, "can we watch my favorite movie?"

"Of course," she chuckled, "I had guessed that you'd want to!"

"I'm all clean now!" he held his arms and she lifted him out, wrapping a towel around him.

"Do you need me to help you dry off?" she asked as she set him down.

"Just my back," he answered as he awkwardly tried to wring-out one of his tails.

"Turn around," he complied and she carefully worked the water out of his fur.

"What his name?" Miles asked.

"Who?" she replied, a bit confused.

"Your friend, the knight." he said, "what's his name?"

"His name was Jericho," she smiled "maybe you'll get to meet him someday".

"Hey Mom?" MIles asked, "how did you get hurt so bad?"

" _Here we go_ ," she thought to herself, "I was fighting with someone."

"Was it because they did something bad?" he asked.

"Yes, they attacked me first," she motioned for him to turn around where she could see his face, "You have to understand there's bad immortals just like anyone else can be a bad person, and sometimes we fight each other because of that."

"So the good guys like you have to stop the bad guys?" he innocently asked, "is that why hide your powers sort of like superheroes do?"

" _Naivety and innocence, there's nothing quite as inspiring as the idealism that comes with it. If he can't conceive of me as anything but the hero of this story, is that a sign I've been a good mother?_ ' She smiled, "Yes, sometimes I have to fight because someone attacks me first, or because I have to protect someone. Keeping it a secret makes it harder for those people to find me and keeps us both safer," she reached up and helped him dry his head off.

"I think I understand, "he smiled, but she could the disappointment on his face "I promise not to tell anyone, then."

"Hey, I'm sure someday will make some friends we can really trust and let them on the secret," she pulled him into a hug and kissed his forehead, "That way I won't have to pretend to be your sister around them when you get older."

"Okay," he laughed.

* * *

Things had finally started to calm down and Melinda yawned as she struggled to pay attention to the cartoon playing on the TV, and to Miles talking about various things on the screen like the plane the hero was flying.

The kit was curled up next to her on the couch with his head resting against her side and she had covered him with her coat, which by some small miracle had escaped getting any blood on it. He was clearly struggling to stay awake and finish his movie, but let out a yawn as he tried to huddle up even closer to her.

"Getting sleepy?" she gently stroked one of his ears, "I can carry you upstairs if you want."

"but I wanna stay with you," he said.

"Still a little nervous?" she smiled.

"Yes, I just wanna be with you right now"

"If you want, we can just sleep here on the couch for tonight." she said softly, "would you like that?"

"Can I just go to sleep snuggled up next to you like this? It makes me feel all warm and safe." he said.

"Of course, honey," she wrapped her arm around him.

"I love you, mom," he said with a yawn as he closed his eyes.

"I love you to, Miles. Goodnight, kiddo." she shifted her head into a comfortable position, an uneasy task with current arrangement, and let sleep take her as wel


End file.
